What Would Love Do to Gaara?
by Ritsu Arasashi
Summary: First he finds friendship, then love? Friendship showed him he didn't have to be alone, what will love show him? GaaraxOC centric Minor SasukexOC, ShikamaruxTemari. Okay, yeah, I suck at summaries, just read and review please!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did, someone would have hugged Gaara when he was little. ^^

A/N: Tailed beasts speaking looks like this: "_**Rawr**_!" Everything else is pretty basic.

(The time is sometime between the first and second times that Naruto saved Gaara)

* * *

Temari finished cooking and set the food on the table. "Hey, Kankurou!" she called. "It's time to eat."

Kankurou came in. "Where's Gaara?" he said.

"Probably in his room still," Temari replied. "I'll go see if he's eating." She went and knocked on Gaara's door. "Hey? Gaara? Are you going to come eat?"

"I'm not hungry," he replied. Silence, and then, "Have you seen Sen?"

"No," Temari replied. "No I haven't." _I was hoping you'd seen her today_...she thought.

"Oh, well, like I said, I'm not hungry."

"Alright," Temari replied. She went back to the kitchen and sat down to eat.

"What? He's not coming?" Kankurou asked.

"You know how he is," Temari answered. "He hardly ever eats unless she's here. Heck, he hardly ever talks unless she's around. What do you expect?"

Kankurou rolled his eyes. "I'm just glad that Uzumaki kid managed to get through to him. At least he's not threatening to kill us every other day."

Temari gave a wry smile. "True enough, but I wish he'd eat something at least," she sighed. "Oh well, guess there's nothing to be done."

They ate in silence until a shout issued from upstairs, followed by the sound of a rather large object being thrown.

"Oh, great," Temari muttered. "That's _all_ we need..."

Sen leaped through the trees as quickly as possible. "Damn, I'm late," she muttered. "I was supposed to be there an hour ago..." She neared the Kazekage's home when a shout reached her ears. "Oh, shit," she said and sped up.

Temari got up and was running to the stairs when she heard a knock on the door. _Maybe it's Sen. Oh God, I hope so._ She opened the door. "Oh, hey Sen!"

"Hey," Sen said distractedly. "Sorry I'm late it's ju-"

Another yell cut her off. "I told you no, dammit!"

Temari said, "It doesn't matter, just, can you try and calm him down? I think it's a"

"Shukaku outburst," Sen finished for her. "I think so too." She pushed past Temari quickly and ran upstairs. Opening the door to Gaara's bedroom revealed papers thrown everywhere, a chair thrown into the wall, luckily neither the chair nor the wall was harmed, and Gaara crouched in the middle of the mess, clutching his head as if it were about to split apart. "Gaara-kun!" Sen cried as she ran to his side and wrapped her arms around him.

Feeling Sen next to him, Gaara looked up. "Sen," he said weakly.

"It's alright," she whispered. "I'm here now. Was Shukaku threatening you again?" she said as she helped him to sit down and lean back against the wall.

"Not me, you," he said. He rubbed his temples. God, Shukaku could be bitchy sometimes.

"Oh," Sen said quietly. She sat down beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Gaara put one arm around her waist when he felt her head on his shoulder, earning himself a scolding from Shukaku.

_**Why won't you kill her dammit? What does the bitch meant to you, ne?** _

_She means the world to me,_Gaara countered. _Nothing you can say or do will change it. You can't make me kill her. _

_**We'll see...**_

"Argh!" He grabbed his head again. Damn Ichibi, it might not be able to make him kill her, but it could give him a migraine.

Sen winced as Gaara doubled over in pain in front her. She reached out and rubbed his back gently. The only thing they could do was sit this out. Shukaku would leave him alone after a while and Gaara's life could go back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as it could be when you're the host to the Ichibi and it wants you to kill your lover and you refuse. Yeah, that affects things too.

Kankurou looked into the living room about half an hour later. "Is it safe?"

Temari snorted. "Is it safe?" she mocked. "What are you, three? Do you hear anything, baka?"

"No."

"No, I thought not," Temari snapped. Before he could say a word she continued. "And that means one of two things, one: they're having a private conversation and they want to be left alone, or two?"

"Two: they're spending time together and they don't want to be disturbed."

"Exactly. Now, if you're willing to deal with the sand to check on your brother, be my guest. I'm staying here," Temari said acidly as she went back to her book.

Kankurou flopped down unceremoniously beside her.

Temari glared at him but ignored him and went back to her book. _Baka,_ she thought to herself.

Gaara was sitting cross-legged on his bed, leaning back against the wall. "Thank you, Sen," he said quietly, looking down at her.

Sen, who was laying on her stomach next to him, said, "You don't have to thank me, Gaara-kun. I do it because I love you."

"I'm not just thanking you for earlier," Gaara replied. He didn't meet her eyes; even with Sen this was difficult, to figure out what his emotions were, to recognize them and express them, without hurting the other person.

"Gaara." Sen sat up. She knew Gaara was struggling with his heart. Not trying to figure out if he loved her, or if that was merely Shukaku's lust for blood; they'd figured that out a long time ago. No, even now, he struggled with his heart, trying to unravel these mysterious things called emotions. She reached out her hand and touched his cheek gently. "Gaara..."

Feeling her touch him, and the tingling it sent through him, Gaara looked at her and the tender, concerned expression on her face. Was this love? Or lust? Or, with Sen, was it both? He took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"Oh." The kiss took her off-guard, but Sen wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck and deepened the kiss. She loved him, and if this was how she could prove it to him, she would.

Gaara broke the kiss gently and wrapped his arms around Sen's waist. "Sen, what if, what if this is just Shukaku's bloodlust?"

Sen sighed and nuzzled gently against his neck. They'd been over this already, dammit. "Fuck Shukaku," she said stubbornly.

"I'd rather fuck you," Gaara said and then blinked. Did he just say that?

Sen leaned back and raised one brow sceptically. "Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves?" she said. _Although I feel the same way..._

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**So, first chapter. What do you think? Good? Bad? Please review. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto, or Gaara sadly. Does Gaara have a girlfriend in the anime or manga? No, sadly, although it might have helped.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. They help me make my work better. Thank you Sasukeluver4ever17 and Sabaku no Ko-chan for the reviews and thank you to anyone who read and favorited chapter one. And thanks to my friend Luna, for helping me edit this. Love ya Luna!

* * *

Gaara got up the next morning, letting Sen stay where she'd fallen asleep the night before. He went to the bathroom and ran a hand through his hair tiredly. Was he really enough for her? He went downstairs only to see that neither his brother nor his sister was awake yet. He had a lot of papers on his desk, he just knew it. He went back to his room and grabbed a few papers before leaving for his office.

Sen got up a few hours later, smelling breakfast. "What the-" she said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Her hand fell where she was positive Gaara had been when she'd fallen asleep the night before. Had she made him mad? No, he would have said something; probably kage work. She came downstairs only to find Takamaru sitting on a chair in the kitchen. "What's he here for?" she asked Temari who was setting the food on the table.

"Oh, hey Sen, Gaara's at his office and Takamaru is here because Kankurou decided to have manners for once in his life and sent him to your father to tell him that you were here and a condensed version of what happened last night. I haven't read his response," Temari said, looking up at her.

Sen frowned. The message probably wasn't from her father anyway; her mother had probably responded and was probably ordering her to come home. She openend the letter and had to bite her lip to keep in her furious scream. Instead she contented herself with a promise to kill Kankurou later and stormed back up to Gaara's room.

Temari sighed. She wrote something on the back of the note quickly and said, "Take this to the Mizukage, alright Takamaru?"

Takamaru blinked and took off through the open window.

Sen left a note for Gaara, along with her most precious possesion, on his desk and left.

Hours later, when Gaara came home, he trudged in expecting Sen to come bouncing up to him questioning him about his day only to be met with a quiet living room with Temari and Kankurou staring at him. He sighed and went up to his room. He found her note and picked it up, reading it.

_Dear Gaara-kun,_

_I apologize. Kankurou actually decided to find his manners and sent Takamaru to my father last night. Unfortunately, my mother got to him first. I'll try to be back soon. Stay safe. _

_Forever yours,_

_Sen_

Gaara sighed. Typical. Then he noticed what had fallen off the note. Sen's necklace. The one with an owl charm on it. She never took that off. Owls were almost as special to her as he was. Gaara remembered when he first asked her about it.

_"Oh this?" Sen giggled as she showed him her necklace._

_"Yeah, that," he'd said. "Why do you wear it?"_

_"Because, I have a contract with owls. I can summon them. For most of my life, they were my closest friends. This necklace is very important to me."_

_"It's beautiful," he'd whispered into her ear. "Almost as beautiful as you."_

_"Yeah, I never take it off," Sen said. "But the only thing that means more to me than the owls is you Gaara-kun."_

She would have never left it, but...maybe she'd left it so he wouldn't feel so alone without her by his side. He walked over and sat down on his bed, fingering the charm on the necklace. What if he wasn't good enough for her? The only ones that knew about their relationship were his siblings, Sen's family, the Raikage and Mizuki. They were from two different villages. That didn't bother Temari. Sometimes she'd ask for a pass to Konoha just for the hell of it so she could see Shikamaru. But that was different, wasn't it? He was the Kazekage and Sen was in line to be the next Mizukage, or at least that was what her mother wanted. Ugh! This was so damn confusing. Was this love?

_**Now you see why I told you all those years ago not to care for anyone?**_ Shukakau growled almost sympathetically. _**All it brings is pain and confusion.**_

_Shut up!_ Gaara snapped back. _I don't need your idea of anything right now._

Shukaku grumbled angrily but backed off.

Gaara rubbed his aching skull. _What if he's right though? Wait a minute, what the hell am I doing? Ugh, what if this is all just a dream? A dream that someone very twisted shoved into my head? I could ask Temari. No, wait, she'd lie to make me happy. Kankurou wouldn't. Ugh, but do I really want to deal with his perverted nature? The lesser of two evils..._ He chuckled aloud as he remembered that. Sen had told him that one time when she was deciding whether to go home right after the kage meeting where she'd been allowed to visit him, or if she was willing to risk a lecture for staying later.

_He'd walked up to Sen, noticing that she was moving her hands in a see-saw motion with her eyes closed._

_"What the hell are you doing?" he chuckled softly._

_"Huh? Oh! I'm trying to figure the lesser of two evils," Sen said as she opened her eyes to smile at him._

_He raised one brow in confusion._

_"I'm trying to see if it's worth it to leave now and not get a lecture, but to not see you, or to stay and be with you but get a lecture," she explained gently._

_"Why though? Wouldn't it be easier to go and not get a lecture?" he'd asked._

_"Well, yeah," Sen said. "But sometimes, it's worth more for the harsher outcome, if it solidifies your beliefs."_

He hadn't understood what she'd meant then, but maybe, somehow, it applied to now. He got up and dropped her necklace into his pocket and walked downstairs. When he looked in the living room and the kitchen, Kankurou's usual places, he realised his older brother wasn't there and probably in his room. Gaara walked down the hall and knocked on Kankurou's bedroom door.

"Yeah, come in," Kankurou replied distractedly.

Gaara pushed the door open and stood there, suddenly unsure of why he was there.

Kankurou turned to look at his little brother standing in his doorway. _That look on his face,_ he thought. _It's not Gaara's normal look. I wonder what's going on?_ "What's up?" he said as he picked Karasu, who he'd been working on when Gaara had knocked, off of his lap and set it on a table nearby before pushing the table back against the wall. "Gaara? Is there something you wanted? Come sit down," he said as he got up to start putting the tools away.

Gaara stayed where he was and said, "Kankurou, I-"

"What is it Gaara?" Kankurou said, turning to look at his brother curiously.

_Let me finish dammit_, Gaara thought. Aloud, he said, "Kankurou, what if this is all just a dream?"

_Ah, so that's what it was_, Kankurou thought. "Well, you should ask Temari if this is going to be a question about love. God knows, she knows love if anyone does."

Gaara glared at him and a scowl started to form on his face. "That's not what I meant..."

Kankurou gulped and said, "Well, what do you think it is Gaara?"

"I don't really know..." _And I don't. If I did, I wouldn't be asking this bastard if it was. I don't know whether all this time with Sen has been a dream or not. I don't know if my wanting her is simply Shukaku's bloodlust, or if I truly love her. I don't know any of this. I just-I don't know anymore!_

Kankurou smirked. "You mean you don't know what you and your girlfriend have been up to for the past four months? That you don't know even know why you're in here?"

Gaara's fist came flying into Kankurou's face at a speed that, had it been aimed at Gaara, the sand probably couldn't have stopped.

Kankurou slammed into the wall and slid down, clutching his nose as blood spurted everywhere. "What the hell was that for?"

Gaara glared at him, when he realized his own hand was stinging. Lifting it to his face, he noticed that his knuckles had split open from the blow.

Temari came running in. "What's going on?" she cried.

"He fucking hit me!" Kankurou cried, pointing at Gaara.

"Well what did you say to him?"

"I said 'You don't even know why you're here?' and he just slugged me!"

Temari rolled her eyes but before she could say a word, Gaara shoved past her and stormed downstairs and out of the house into the cool desert night.

_Why does he always have to be a bastard about everything? Why can't he learn when to shut that damn mouth of his? Why, why, why?_

_**Well you did ask him a question...**_

_Shut the hell up! I never asked for your help. Why can't everyone just leave me the fuck alone?_

_**Fine. Why don't you figure out what it's like to be **_**truly _alone..._**

Suddenly, there was dead silence, around him and in his head. _Alone..._ He looked up at the sky. _Maybe all this really is is voices in my head and I'm really in a straight jacket somewhere, blathering about the voices._

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**Second chapter, what do you guys think? I have the next one, but I didn't get that many reviews for my first chapter. If I can get five for this one, I'll put chapter three up. I need to know what you guys think, cause I read every review. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. I wish I owned Gaara, sadly I don't. But I do own Sen!

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Sen ran across the dunes. Her mother was going to be pissed, but she didn't care. She'd rather be with Gaara than anywhere else in the world right then. Seeing Suna come into view, she slowed down a little, but not enough to keep herself from plowing into Gaara.

"Ooof!" Gaara looked down at the girl that had wrapped herself around him and knocked them both to the ground.. "Sen! How the hell did you get back so fast?"

"Does it matter?" Sen said. Then she noticed something off. "Gaara-kun, what's wrong?"

Gaara looked away. "It's nothing," he muttered.

"Right," Sen said. "And I'm not the Mizukage's daughter. Something's wrong, I know it. But I'm not gonna force you." _Because I think I know exactly what it is..._

Gaara's eyes widened as he felt Sen's hand touch his cheek. "Sen..." _Even if this is a dream, as long as I'm with you, I'll be happy._

"Why don't we go back home, Gaara-kun?" Sen said as she stood up and held out a hand to help him up.

Gaara accepted her hand and pulled himself up. He put his arm around Sen's waist and as they started to walk back he said, "Sen, how do you..."

Sen stood on her tip toes and silenced him with a kiss, when she pulled back she noticed he was smiling.

_How do you always seem to be there right when I need you?_

When they made it back to the house, Temari stopped them at the door. "Gaara, I've already-"

Gaara held his hand up to silence her and said, "Temari, stop. It's over, alright? Let it be."

Temari nodded but then her eyes widened when she looked at Sen. "But I thought you went home?"

Sen shrugged. "I changed my mind I guess," she said.

Temari shook her head and said, "Fine, fine, I have dinner on the table if yo-"

"I'm not hungry," Gaara said before turning way from his sister and walking up the stairs.

Sen glanced at Temari apologetically before going after Gaara. As she shut the door behind her, she said, "Gaara-kun, I'm sorry about leaving. I ju-" She stopped when she realized Gaara was right in front of her, reaching around her neck.

The clasp clicked and Gaara said, "I thought you'd want that back." He turned away and continued, "After all, it is very precious to you."

_Gaara-kun, it's not nearly as precious as you, _Sen thought, a smile on her lips. "Gaara, it's just a necklace."

"But it's yours," he countered as he changed his shirt. "As much a part of you as your own chakra flow."

Sen's smile started to fade. _Well, that's a weird way to be romantic,_ she thought. "Gaara, it's only a necklace. To say that's the most important thing to me would be stupid and wrong. But," she moved across the room and wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself close to him, "There's something that means more to me than anything else in the world."

"Oh?" Gaara said. "And what might that be?" He pulled her down on to the bed with him and let her snuggle against him as he leaned back against the wall. _What is she getting so worked up about? All I said was it was important to her. I thought she..._

_**Why does it matter if it's important or not? **_Shukaku cut him off. _**It's a necklace dammit!**_

_I thought you were letting me figure out what it was like to "truly" be alone?_ Gaara snapped.

_**Eh, you should realize I can't do that. We're together until one or the other dies, or did you forget that little piece of information?**_

_How can I forget? You never give me a chance to. Now shut up._

"Gaara? Gaara, I've been talking to you," Sen said tiredly.

"Sorry," Gaara said.

"That was Shukaku again, wasn't it? I told you what was most important to me," Sen said softly as she leaned against him. "You."

* * *

**Okay, I know it's shorter than the others, but I wanted to end it there. After all, I don't want to spoil all of the drama.**

A/N: Sorry it took so long. By the time I realized Luna had sent it back to me, it was too late to put it up. Yeah, I know dumb excuse. I feel like Kakashi now. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. Wish I owned Gaara, but I don't. I own Sen as well as her summoning. After all, when do you see an owl as a summoning in the anime or manga?

* * *

_"I told you what was most important to me," Sen said softly as she leaned against him. "You."_

Gaara blinked. He was what was most important to her? But, her family, her best friend...

"I know what you're thinking," Sen said quietly without looking at him. "You mean more to me than life itself Gaara-kun."

Gaara sighed and lifted his hands to pull Sen against him and then pushed her chin up so that they were staring into each other's eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her gently, breaking the kiss a few moments later. "Sen, I love you more than life itself," he said quietly. "If I were to lose you, I don't know what I would do."

_**You'd probably try to take your life. I won't let you though. I'm already weak enough as it is, I'd prefer **_**not**_** to be any weaker, thanks.**_

Gaara ignored the Shukaku and instead stared intently into Sen's eyes, stroking her cheek with his finger tips, willing her to accept what he'd just spoken.

Sen felt herself starting to cry. "Gaara, I-"

"Don't cry," Gaara said as he wiped her tears away.

Sen pushed his hand away and wiped the tears away herself. "Gaara, if you ever do lose me, you have to move on. For your sake. You can't be stuck in the past." She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled against him. "I'm not saying not to love though," she whispered.

Later, after she fell asleep, Gaara tucked Sen under the covers and sat beside her, reading.

A knock broke the silence.

"Yes, what is it?" Gaara said without looking up from his reading.

"I was wondering if you'd like to, well, come down and play a game with us or something," Temari said through the door.

"Sen's asleep and I'm reading. We'll pass tonight Temari," Gaara said. Then as an afterthought, he added, "I apologize."

"Oh. You don't need to apologize," Temari said. "We'll just...we'll just do it another time. Yes. Another time." Then she was gone.

The next morning, Sen woke up with Gaara right beside her. She rolled over and snuggled against him. "Morning, Gaara-kun," she said sleepily.

"Oh, you're awake, are you?" Gaara said as he set the book aside.

Sen nodded and said, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Gaara replied as he got up. "Temari just wanted us to play a game with them last night, but I told her you'd fallen asleep already."

"Oh," Sen said quietly as she got up and brushed past Gaara as he was organizing papers on his desk.

"Where're you going?" Gaara said curiously, looking up at her.

"I'm going to change," Sen said. "It's not like it'd be proper to change in front of you, now would it?" She bustled out of the room, the door snapping shut behind her.

_**You wouldn't be able to keep your hands off of her if she did,**_Shukaku taunted.

Gaara clenched his fists on top of the desk. He hated to admit it, but Shukaku was probably correct. All he could think about sometimes was holding Sen to him and running his fingers through her hair and down her cheeks and- "No. Stop, Gaara. Stop. You've got to stop thinking about that," he snapped. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wanted her so badly, but he couldn't force her. He had to wait for her to come to him. When she was ready, he'd be waiting.

_**I doubt you can...**_

Sen walked downstairs a few minutes later and settled herself down on the couch by Temari. "Sorry about last night," she said quietly.

Temari looked over at Sen. "Why are you apologizing?" she said increduously. "You were asleep. Neither I nor Kankurou hold it against you. And it's not like we were holding it against Gaara either. After all, he wouldn't have wanted to leave you alone and..." She trailed off as Kankurou walked in.

"You know, I have a bone to pick with you," Sen said.

"Me?" Kankurou said. "What the hell did I do?"

Sen stood up and whirled on Kankurou. "What did you do? What did you do? You sent Takamaru to Kiri!"

"Why are you so mad?" Kankurou said, getting ready to protect his face. His nose was still tender from where it had been shattered by Gaara just the day before.

"Because," Sen spat. "My mother got ahold of him. I'm surprised she's not here right now trying to drag me back. Damn, Kankurou. Why'd you have to find your manners now?"

"I just thought your father would-"

"He knew I was here!" Sen screamed. "He was the one that allowed me to come. Without my mother's consent. And then you go and-UAGGGH!" She finished her sentence in a frustrated scream and swung her fist at Kankurou.

Temari jumped in, catching Sen's arm before the girl's fist connected with Kankurou's face. "Sen, calm down," she said gently.

"Why should I calm the fuck down?" Sen screamed as she jerked her arm out of Temari's grasp before she charged out of the door, slamming it behind her.

Sen ran out of the village and into the middle of the dunes before she collapsed to her knees, panting. _I need to talk to Mizuki_, she thought. Pulling a kunai from her pocket, she cut her right palm, before pressing it to the ground and summoning a small, pygmy owl.

The owl blinked and turned to Sen. "What is it little fledgling?"

"Saida," Sen said gratefully. "Just the one I was looking for. I need you to get Mizuki."

"Why do you need that, little fledgling?" Saida said.

"I need to talk to her," Sen panted. She had a stitch in her side that hurt like hell.

"Any particular message, little fledgling?" Saida said as the pygmy owl readied herself for flight.

"Yeah," Sen said. "Tell her I'm going to murder Kankurou soon."

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**Fourth chapter, wow I'm on a roll. Reviews are appreciated. Any ideas you have, pm me. I wouldn't mind getting ideas, after all my muse comes and goes as it chooses. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Gaara wouldn't have been treated the way he was.

* * *

_"Yeah," Sen said. "Tell her I'm going to murder Kankurou soon."_

Sen watched as Saida flew off. Why did everyone have to be nice when it came to her? Anyone else, Kankurou wouldn't have said a word. Why her? She felt the tears spilling down her cheeks as she clenched her fists in the sand. This was getting to be too much.

Gaara walked downstairs. He'd heard the screaming and then the door slam. If Kankurou had pissed Sen off, or hurt her in any way, he'd kill him.

Temari was standing in the middle of the room, glaring at Kankurou.

Kankurou glared right back at her as if she were the cause of all his troubles until he spotted Gaara. His anger morphed into fear. "Guh-Gaara..."

"What did you do to Sen?" Gaara said quietly. _If you hurt Sen..._

"It-It's not w-what you think," Kankurou stuttered.

"Then what did you do?" Gaara said angrily.

"She came at me. Yelling about what I'd sent to the Mizu-"

Gaara's fist connected with Kankurou's nose for the second time in a week.

Kankurou collapsed to the ground, clutching his nose as the blood poured from it.

"Gaara," Temari said quietly. "Sen left. Maybe you should-"

The door slammed shut, cutting her sentence short.

Temari sighed. "Come on, baka, let's get you to a medic-nin."

Gaara ran across the sand. He had know clue where she could be. Then he saw her. _Sen._ He ran to her side and set a hand gently on her back.

Sen gasped when she felt a hand rest lightly on her back. She looked up and flung arms around Gaara's neck, clinging to him sobbing.

Gaara held her close. "It's alright," he whispered in her ear. "I'm here now."

"I know," Sen said quietly in between her sobs. "Gaara, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because. I'd rather have anything happen to me than to you," she whispered.

"And what's going to happen to me?" Gaara said. "An assasination attempt? That's why I have a guard. Speaking of which, we need to get you one."

"I don't need a guard," Sen protested.

Gaara rolled his eyes and stood up before helping Sen to her feet as well. "How about Kanemaru?"

"He's just a genin, Gaara-kun."

"Well, he has to prove himself some way. And the boy's as determined as Naruto. Just think about it okay?"

Sen wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest, noddiing.

Gaara stroked her hair gently and said, "Sen, how do you get between Kiri and Suna so fast?"

Sen sniffed. "It's a long story."

"I'm willing to listen."

"Gaara, I have so many secrets. I don't want to have them, but you'd be in even more danger if I told you," Sen sighed quietly.

Gaara nodded understandingly. "Whenever you're ready. Let's go back."

Later, in his room, Gaara was sitting on his bed with Sen laying curled up beside him.

_**Why do you risk yourself for her?**_

_What are you talking about? The Akatsuki's after me, just as they're after Naruto and whomever has the Hachibi. _I'm_ the one putting _her_ in danger._

_**Stupid bastard.**_

_What is he talking about? Does he know something I don't?_

"Sen? Are you awake?" Gaara said quietly.

"Yeah."

She sounded so upset. Gaara itched to comfort her. Or was that Shukaku's bloodlust? Hell, why did it matter?

"Gaara-kun?" Sen pulled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Are you still willing to listen?"

"I'm always willing to listen to you."

"You won't hate me?" Sen said softly.

Gaara kissed the top of her head gently as he rubbed her back with one hand. "I could never hate you, Sen."

"You might," she said quietly. "I'm the Jinchuuriki for the Nanabi."

* * *

**Chapter five. How many more will come? And what will Gaara's reaction be?**

A/N: Kanemaru's name comes from the female Japanese name "Akane" meaning brillant red and the name "maru" meaning a boy's name. I took the a off of Akane and put the to terms together. It's pronounced like...well, the e's pronounced like an a so...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. Or the Bijuus. I simply own this storyline and Sen's history.

* * *

_"You might," she said quietly. "I'm the Jinchuuriki for the Nanabi."_

Gaara froze.

_**You see, you stupid bastard?**_ Shukaku growled. **_She was only ever nice to you, she only tolerated you because she knew what it was like to be despised. She felt_ sorry _for you._**

"Sen, you-"

"It's not what you think, Gaara-kun," Sen said quietly.

"And how do you know what I think?" Gaara countered angrily. "If you believe I think that your love for me was all just a lie because you felt sorry for me, well then maybe you're right."

"Gaara-"

"Damn. Shukaku was right. I can't trust any one but myself," Gaara snapped. He shoved her off of him and stormed out of the the room.

"It's not that, Gaara-kun..."Sen said softly, her voice breaking from the tears forming once more in her eyes. _It's not that at all.I love you for you, Gaara-kun. Not because of what you are. Because of_ who _you are. A strong, kind, caring man who's willing to give his life for those he cares for. God, I was stupid to believe keeping secrets was better. That it would protect him._ Sen curled up into a ball crying softly. She hated herself more than anything right now. She'd done what she'd never wanted to do. She'd hurt Gaara. Now he probably hated her.

_**Don't cry, little one,**_ Nanabi said gently.

_Why not? He hates me now,_ Sen replied.

_**No, he doesn't hate you, little one. Just as I can speak to you, Shukaku speaks to him. And Shukaku is not as gentle with his host as I am with you. Shukaku is no doubt telling Gaara of why he should not trust you. But Gaara loves you, little one. Even Shukaku, with all his trickeries, cannot change the Kazekage's love for you little one. Just as nothing I can say will change your love for Gaara. Remember that, little one. Love is the most powerful force in the world. You see, in a friend's will to sacrifice themselves for another friend in battle, a mother's love for their children, siblings love for each other, and of course, love between two who would hope to someday get married.**_

_Mother's love? How the hell do you define that? My mother's only recognition of me is through very thinly veiled insults, and Gaara's cursed him from birth. I've never had any siblings so I wouldn't know how siblings feel, and Gaara's siblings hated and feared him after what happened with Yashamaru,_ Sen countered.

_**But you have Mizuki and you have Gaara. Mizuki would give her life for you and you would do the same for her. Gaara loves you even more than that. Just as you love him.**_

_But he left. What should I do?_

_**Go after him. Follow his and the Shukaku's chakra. But most importantly, little one, follow your heart.**_

Sen sat up, wiping her eyes. Nanabi was right. He always was. She loved Gaara with all of her heart. She loved him more than life itself. "Thank you, Nanabi," she whispered aloud before leaving the room.

Gaara ran. He couldn't stop if he wanted to. In his confusion, Shukaku began taking control. As Shukaku forced his legs to keep moving, he howled in Gaara's mind.

_**STUPID DAMN BASTARD! I TOLD YOU NOT TO TRUST ANYONE BUT YOURSELF! NOW LOOK WHERE THIS HAS GOTTEN YOU.**_

_But she was only trying to-_

_**BAAH! As if. She kept it from you because she didn't want you to know her true motive. All this proves is that she didn't trust you.**_

Sen ran into the dunes. _Where are you, Gaara-kun? Are you out there, somewhere, alone with Shukaku filling your head with lies?_

Gaara ran. _Just shut up please,_ he begged. _I can't take it anymore._

_**I don't think so. I'm going to keep berating you until you realize you can't trust anyone but me.**_

_But wait,_ Gaara thought. _Didn't you just say I could trust only myself? Now you're saying that I can't trust anyone but you? Which is it?_

_**Stupid bastard,**_ Shukaku chuckled. _**When are you going to realize that we are one and the same? We'll always be together, because together our existance will be forever. Apart we will surely die. When you finally understand this, then you will truly be strong. Remember, the only ties you have to people are?**_

_The only ties I have to people are the ones I put around their throats. _

_**Good. Very good. I have taught you well, little one.**_

* * *

**Ooh, is Gaara really turning against Sen? You'll have to wait for chapter 7 to find out!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. Wish I owned Gaara, but I don't. And yet I'm putting him through this. Maybe it's a good thing I don't own him.

A/N: For sake of clarity, because the Shukaku speaks in the flashback, it's speech is not italicized then. Otherwise, all formatting's the same.

* * *

Gaara continued running. Shukaku was the only one that had been there for him, through thick and thin. Shukaku had protected him, even when he'd tried to hurt himself. Shukaku was the only one that could see his heart and know how he felt. And yet...Gaara remembered the night he first met Sen.

About ten years before...

_It had happened again. They ran from him. They always did. As he walked home, he passed a girl sitting on the steps of a nearby house. She seemed to be listening to whatever was going on inside, and yet not very interested in it at the same time._

_As he passed her, she said, "Hey aren't y-"_

_He ran. He didn't want to hear it again. "Gaara." "Subaku Gaara." "Gaara of the Sand." "Shukaku Gaara." "Monster." The last one hurt the most. He ran home, where he knew Yashamaru would help._

_A few hours later, after a talk about love and a failed apology attempt, Gaara sat on the roof wondering why, out everyone, he seemed to be a monster._

_"_**You have a visitor**_," Shukaku said as the sand blocked a rain of kunai. Before he knew what happened, his would-be attacker lay bleeding to death._

_"Well done Lord Gaara." The words echoed in his head, alongside the words, "Fight only for yourself. Live while only loving yourself." Suddenly, a girl's voice broke through his confusion._

_"Hey. Hey! Are you okay? You're bleeding."_

_Gaara noticed the blood from the newly carved kanji _ai_ or 'love' running into his eyes. "I'm fine," he muttered._

_The girl came over and sat down next to him. "You don't look fine to me," she said quietly._

_Gaara opened his mouth to say something, when the Raikage's voice drifted up to them._

_"Sen? Sen! Damn it all you adventurous girl, where are you?" When the Raikage found a man and his boy, she began questioning them. "Hve you seen Katimi Sen?"_

_"Mizukage-sama's daughter?"_

_"Yes, baka, what other bloodline has that name?"_

_"Well, I haven't seen her," the man replied._

_"Wait..." The boy's voice now. "There was a bit of commotion earlier."_

_Sen's hand flew over Gaara's mouth. 'Shh. Not a word, please?' she mouthed._

_"What do you mean commotionand where?" the Raikage said._

_"The Kazekage-sama's son. The failed experiment. The monster."_

_Gaara felt the anger rise in him again. He readied himself to bite the girl's hand, but stopped when he noticed the sadness in her face._

_"That's absolutely insane!" they heard next._

_"But Raikage-sama, Kaze-" She cut him off before he could go any further._

_"You know what? I , personally, don't give a damn about the Kazekage's military plans but to kill an innocent boy, no less his own son?"_

_"But Raikage-sama-"_

_"No," she said angrily._

_"But the boy isn't innocent!" the child cried, forgetting his place in his outrage. "He's unstable. He's a murderer."_

_Gaara flinched at the word. If the boy knew what it was like..._

_"Unstable?" the Raikage cried. "Don't make me laugh. If you're trying to say the boy's crazy, I may agree to that. Half the Jinchuuriki do become so. If you're trying to say he can't the control the damn thing, answer me this: Have you ever know a Jinchuuriki to be able to fully control their Bijuu?"_

_"Killer Bee-"_

_"Killer Bee?" This time she laughed. "One in a million. That took him nearly all his life as well. Did you ever even try to fucking accept the boy? Maybe he wouldn't be so unstable then, ne?"_

_Silence._

_"Whatever. I don't give a damn. Keep Kumo and Kiri out of it and you can be assured the Kazekage will keep his head. If you see Sen, tell her that her mother is looking for her." She left, soon followed by the man and his son._

_Sen moved her hand from Gaara's mouth and pulled her knees against her chest and circled her arms around them._

_"So now that you know what I am, you're gonna run away screaming to your mommy, aren't you?" Gaara sneered._

_"No."_

_Gaara stared at her increduously. She wasn't going to run? "Well, then I guess I'll kill you."_

_She laughed._

_"What's so funny?"_

_"I may know what you are, but I don't know who you are. I don't think you could kill me either," she said._

_"Why's that?"_

_"Just 'cause. Anyway, I gotta go. Mom's going to be furious. I hope we can get to know each other, Gaara-kun." With that, she was gone._

_"_**Good riddance**_," Shukaku growled._

Gaara's eyes widened at the memory. _I hope we can get to know each other, Gaara-kun._ She'd wanted to get to see the person he truly was, not the monster that used him for a life source.

True, they were on opposite ends of the spectrum. He'd been made a Jinchuuriki to protect Suna, while Sen's mother had made her one so that Kiri could become the Blood Mist once more. And yet both plans had backfired. (1)

Gaara had become the murder while Sen had become the protector. No. The true demon was inside of him. Wait... Then could Sen...? Gaara sensed Shukaku's grumbles fading slowly. Why? Then he remembered what Sen had told him from what she'd learned from Killer Bee.

_Only when you have a pure heart, free of any hate, can you control the demon's hatred._

That was how Killer Bee had done it and that was how Sen had done it. But, maybe, he, himself, needed something a little more. Maybe, what he needed was a hero to save him from the monster inside him...(2)

Sen ran. Oh, where was he? If he went on a rampage and his sociopathic tendencies came out... No. She couldn't think that. Even so... She collapsed to her knees in the dunes. Knowing that damn Ichibi, it had probably sent Gaara in the complete opposite of the direction she was going in. _Nanabi, help!_ she cried.

_**What is it, little one?**_

_I can't find him._

_**Little one, look up.**_

Sen looked up, straight into Gaara's eyes. "G-Gaara-kun..."

Gaara looked at Sen. How could he say what this part of his heart wanted to scream to the whole world.

"Sen, be my hero. Save me from this monster."(2)

* * *

**So... What do you think? Oh, and two notes:**

**1) The comparison between why the two were made Jinchuurikis is just a statement. Gaara's not aware of that yet.**

**2) The hero and monster thing was based off of two of my favorite songs by Skillet. "Hero" and "Monster".**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. I own this plot, but other than that, neh.

* * *

_"Sen, be my hero. Save me from this monster."_

Sen blinked. He wasn't mad at her? But she'd lied to him and...

Gaara knelt down in front of Sen. "This...is hard for me to say," Gaara started. "Not because I don't want to...because I do want to, it's just..."

"Just say what's on your heart, Gaara-kun," Sen said quietly.

Gaara took her hand in his and said, "I want you to be my hero. You're the only one that can save me. You're the one that..." He shook his head and brought his hand up to touch her cheek gently, before embracing her, pulling her tight against him. "Sen, I love you, but only your love can save me," he whispered in her ear.

Sen wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck and whispered, "Gaara, I love you. I've told you that so many times I've lost count, but-" She broke off when she realized he was staring at her with an odd look in his eyes.

Gaara leaned forward and kissed Sen. After several minutes, he moved back to allow her some air. "I never knew why I couldn't kill you that night. Now I know why."

"Hmm?" Sen tilted her head curiously. "Why's that?"

"Because, to kill the only one that can save you is very counter productive," Gaara said. He stopped and then added, "But that only partially explains it. That's only half of it."

"So what's the other half?" Sen said curiously, kissing him gently on the lips.

Gaara stood up, helping Sen to her feet as well. "Well, I don't want to push you away, but..."

_**Oh, shut up already!**_ Shukaku snapped irritably. _**She hasn't left yet, what the fuck makes you think she will? Damn, I've been trying to get rid of her for the past four months. It hasn't worked yet. I doubt anything you could do would change that.**_

_But what if she's not ready to go that far?_

_**Well, you won't know unless you try, now will you? Damn, stupid bastard...**_

"Gaara?" Sen said. "What is it?"

Gaara ran his fingers through Sen's hair and said, "Come on, let's go home." He started to walk back towards Suna.

"But Gaara-kun," Sen whined. "You never told me the other half of the reason!" She groaned in exasperation as she ran after him.

_**Hehe, what do you know? The kid's playing hard to get,**_ Nanabi chuckled.

_Huh? What do you mean?_

_**You want him, and he obviously wants you. He's only trying to see how long you can last, **_Nanabi said. _**That, and he's trying not to push you away.**_

_Away? What's that supposed to mean?_ Sen said.

_**You mean a lot to him, little one. For him, it's more than love, and, more than lust. He wants you for you, but, it seems, he also wants what you have, if you catch my drift. He's scared that he'll push you too far, by letting out every feeling he has for you. I think,**_ Nanabi said, musingly, _**that while you've shown him friendship as well as love, he, well...**_

_What are you talking about, Nanabi?_ Sen said curiously.

_**Oh, the two of you are **_**so** _**naive...**_

Gaara opened the door and let Sen in, before shutting it behind her and locking it. He glanced around, listening. "Good. We're all alone."

"Gaara, what's going on?" Sen asked, her voice bordering a whine once more as she began to grow impatient.

Gaara shook his head, refusing to answer as a small smirk appeared on his lips. Instead, he pushed her back against the door and pressed his lips against hers.

Sen moaned as she let Gaara slide his tongue into her mouth. She felt his hands under her shirt, wrapping around her waist and pulling her against him. _Was this what you meant, Nanabi? _she thought._ Cause we've been here before..._

_**Sure. You've been this far before, but have you been farther? **_was his cryptic response.

_Farther? Bu- _"Oh!" Sen felt something press against her thigh. "Gaara..." she whispered. This was where they'd stopped every time before, but...Gaara didn't seem to want to. And while this was different, new even, Sen had to admit, she kind of didn't want to either.

"Let's go to bed," Gaara whispered in Sen's ear as he nipped at her neck. He then pulled back, oddly satisfied by the pitiful moan that came from Sen with that action. He started up the stairs, smirk still plain on his face.

"Nnn," she managed, before following him up the stairs.

* * *

**Heh, well I guess the Kazekage gets what he wants...**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. Or Gaara. I could not have come up with an awesome story like that.

A/N: Thought about doing a lemon, then I figured I'd probably screw it up, so...No lemon. Sorry guys! This'll just be the morning after.

* * *

Sen lay curled against Gaara's side, sleeping peacefully with her hand resting on his chest.

Gaara, for the first time in his life, was truly satisfied with a decision he'd made. He'd asked and she'd accepted. It had been great for him, but...what he was worried about was if it had been good enough for her.

Sen woke a few minutes later and snuggled against Gaara. "Gaa-kun," she whispered.

"Hn? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Mm, nothing's wrong," Sen whispered. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For..." Sen trailed off. How could he not know? After last night... Ooh, just thinking about it brought a shudder of sheer pleasure to her. She pulled herself up and lay down across Gaara's chest. She kissed him hard on the lips, feeling the sparks pass between them. "For last night for starters," she whispered as she pulled back.

_I was actually good enough? _Gaara thought.

_**Damn, stupid bastard, will you just drop it? I really don't want to have to re-live last night and the more you talk about it the harder it is to forget, **_Shukaku grumbled.

_You're the one that's dragging it on,_ Gaara countered.

Shukaku grumbled a bit longer, but eventually dropped the issue.

Half an hour later, Sen stumbled downstairs to the kitchen. The whole time, from practically the second they had left his room, Gaara'd had his hand resting around her waist to support her. She was a little sore, but in an odd way, it was a good kind of sore. That was weird. She sat down at the table.

Gaara moved to make Sen some tea. Suddenly a shout broke the silence.

"Holy hell! Why do I get the feeling something happened between you two last night?" Kankurou shouted

Gaara scowled and winced irritably at the yelling. He whirled around. "Kankurou, why don't you mind your own fucking business?" he snapped.

"Because," Kankurou said, smirking at his younger brother, a dangerous game on the best of days. Not that this was the best of days, though. "I'm your older brother and that makes it my business."

Gaara suppressed a frustrated growl at his brother's aggravating nature and poured the tea into a mug and mixing a small amount of honey into it, before carrying it to Sen, only to have Kankurou snatch it out of his hands.

"Aw, great. I've been wanting some tea with honey in it. Thanks, Little Bro."

This time, Gaara let the growl out. "That was for Sen."

"God, I love good, hot tea-"

"Kankurou, if you value your life," Temari said irritably as she came in behind him, "you'll give that to Sen. I'm not going to take responsiblity if Gaara murders you."

Kankurou glared at Temari for a moment before glancing at Gaara. Seeing the raw anger in his younger brother's eyes, Kankurou shoved it onto the table near Sen. "Just kidding. Hehe. How 'bout I make you some, Gaara?"

"No. Thank you," Gaara hissed, before sitting down next to Sen.

Kankurou, taking that as a release from punishment he had feared, darted quickly from the room.

Temari sighed, shaking her head. He could be such an idiot sometimes. She sat down at the table next to her little brother. "So, is it too dangerous to ask what happened last night?" she said cautiously.

"Ask? No. Assume? Yes," Gaara replied as he leaned his elbows on the table, resting his head in one hand. For the first time, he hated being Kazekage. He wanted to stay with Sen, but that was impossible. He had work to do. Part of him knew she understood, but another part knew she wished that they could spend all of their time together. He sighed. It was impossible.

"All right," Temari said slowly. She picked her words carefully and said, "Might you be willing to tell me what happened last night?"

Sen glanced quickly at Gaara before saying, "There was just a small Shukaku outburst, and Gaara ran into the desert. But I managed to calm him down and bring him back."

_Why does it seem like you're hiding something?_ Temari wondered as she looked from Sen, who was staring into her tea and swirling it slowly, to Gaara, who was still leaning on one elbow and now seemed to be staring at the window, as if the landscape outside held the answer to some meaningful question. "Oh," she said aloud. "Well, that's good. I'm glad it all worked out."

Twenty minutes later, Gaara was leaving for his office.

Sen sat, with arms wrapped around her knees as she leaned back against the arm of the couch. She hated when he had to leave, but someone had to run the village.

"Sen."

Sen leaned her head back and realized she was looking into Gaara's eyes.

Gaara leaned down and kissed Sen, running his fingers through her hair. "Do you want to come with me today?" he asked gently.

"But Kankurou says you don't like people in your office because they're distracting and annoying," she replied.

_Well, you _would_ be distracting,_ Gaara thought. Aloud he said, "Consider who I told that to."

"Oh, yeah," Sen said quietly. She reached up and touched his cheek gently. "All right. I'll come. As long as I get to be with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Gaara replied as he walked to the door and opened it for her. Then they both left.

* * *

**And so begins their rituals. But how will Gaara focus on his work? And where will their relationship go from here? Find out...In chapter 10, hehe.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. Period. Wish I did, but I don't.

* * *

Sen sat with her back resting against the desk as she absently played with a strand of hair with her free hand. Her left hand was held by Gaara as he caressed it slowly with his thumb. His thumb slid across her palm, sending a shudder of pleasure through her so bad that she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning aloud. She pulled her hand from his.

"Too much?" Gaara said, his eyes never shifting from his work. "Sorry."

Sen sighed. It wasn't _too _much; it was exactly what she wanted. This just wasn't the place for it. She stood and wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck. If he wanted to test her, she could test him too.

Someone knocked on the door to the office and, ignoring the fact that Sen was wrapped around his neck, Gaara told them to come in.

Kanemaru stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. He ran his fingers through his red hair ("So like Kazekage-sama's," his mother always crooned.) distractedly. "Um, er, Kazekage-sama, sir?"

Gaara looked up from his work. "Yes?"

"Kazekage-sama, sir, you said you had a mission for me?"

"Yes, as a matter of-ungh..." Gaara trailed off as Sen's fingers tangled in his hair and pulled it, ever so slightly. Bitch. She was _testing _him. Well, he'd show her who's will was stronger. "...Right here," he said as he pulled a paper from a drawer and slid it across the desk to the boy. "Your mission, Kanemaru-kun, is to-"

Sen jerked his hair a little harder.

Gaara cursed inwardly. Damn her! He was falling to her advances faster than she had to his. "I need you to be Sen's guard." There. It was out. Now, maybe she would-ugh-not a chance.

This time, Sen nipped at Gaara's neck.

Gaara bit his lip. Dammit! Already his pants were tightening.

Kanemaru's jaw dropped at that statement.

As the boy began mouthing like a fish out of water, Gaara gave in to his desires and pulled Sen into his lap, kissing her passionately.

When they broke for air a few minutes later, Kanemaru swallowed hard and said, "I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama, but I can't take on this mission."

Gaara, who was running a strand of Sen's hair between his fingers, said, "Why not? You requested a mission."

"Yes, sir," Kanemaru said. "But you can't trust me with something as precious to you as Sen-san."

"Why can't I?"

Oh, why did he have to do _this_? Was it really getting hot in here? Kanemaru pulled at the collar of his shirt; he hoped not. Although, seeing the Kazekage and his lover like _that _wasn't exactly helping his confidence. "I'm only a genin," he protested. "I'm not strong enou-"

Gaara's fist slammed down onto his desk, making both Sen and Kanemaru jump in shock. "Bullshit!" he snapped. "Strength isn't everything, even in our world. You also need a bit of brains and the guts to stick to a task." Gaara stopped to look at Kanemaru. "You want to know something?"

"What?" Kanemaru managed.

"You've got nearly as much guts as Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

**Now that's something for Gaara to compare the kid to his best friend, ne? Wonder what Kanemaru's reaction to this admission will be?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. Wow, you know what? I'm gonna stop this. I'm just putting the disclaimer on the first chapter from now on. This is a troublesome waste of energy.

* * *

Before Kanemaru could answer, Sen disentangled herself from Gaara's lap and moved over to where the genin was standing. She began looking him over, like you would a work animal in a market stall. "This is the one you want," she started, as she moved around Kanemaru, even lifting a few strands of red hair to examine them.

"Yes," Gaara replied. What the hell was she up to? She was treating the boy like some pack animal, or perhaps a slave or something in an auction. Kami, this was odd, even for her.

Sen seemed to ponder this for a moment, as she continued her heavy scrutinization of the young and confused red head in front of her. "What do you see in him _besides _Uzumaki-esque determination?"

Oh, _that's _what she was doing, Gaara realized. She was giving him a chance to explain to Kanemaru why it was a genin he wanted and not an ANBU. Sometimes, she was so hard to understand, but she was always trying to make it easier for him to get his point across. Even if he had to add unecessary words, as troublesome as that was. Kami, now he was sounding like Shikamaru. He really just needed to send Temari to Konoha and get it the hell over with. "Well, aside from determination, he listens well. He's always respectful, although that could be a habit of upbringing more than choice. Also, his strengths compliment yours. He specializes in close combat with weapons."

Sen nodded and watched as the compliments sank in for the boy, the embarrassed pride showing on his face. "What's his element?"

"Sadly, we haven't determined that yet," Gaara said. "There hasn't been a need for it."

Sen smirked. That was Gaara for you. Never do something unless absolutely necessary. "Well, then we'd better find out, hadn't we?" She looked at Kanemaru. "Training grounds. Now, boy." She performed a hand sign before disappearing in a cloud of mist.

Before allowing the boy to question, Gaara chuckled, "Show-off." He turned to Kanemaru. "Come along. We'll take the normal way."

"Y-yes sir!" Kanemaru cried, before scrambling after the Kazekage.

They soon reached the training grounds, finding Sen leaning against a pillar, arms crossed over her chest and grinning cheekily.

"What took ya so long?" she teased.

"Walking," Gaara replied. "Like normal people."

Sen rolled her eyes. "Normal people? We're ninja for Kami's sake; there's a reason we have Body Flicker jutsus."

"Yes, and what was I thinking? You're not normal," Gaara replied.

Sen frowned, but then it disappeared. "What _is _normal?" she asked rhetorically. "But anyway, back to why we're here." She turned to Kanemaru. "You know about the elements, right?"

"Y-yes, of course," Kanemaru replied. "They're named for the Five Great Nations: fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. Each is strengthened and weakened by another: fire is strengthened by fire but weakened by water and-"

"Okay, okay!" Sen said quickly, cutting him off when she saw irritation flicker across Gaara's face. He could only take a few shinobi's chattering: one being a blond: one Uzumaki Naruto and, of course, herself. "I see you understand about the elements. I take it you know about chakra paper?"

"Y-yes ma'am," Kanemaru stammered, his face red with a mix of emotions.

"All right, then," she handed him a slip of paper, "you know what to do."

Kanemaru took the paper and shut his eyes, focusing his chakra.

Sen glanced at Gaara, and saw her own curious anticipation mirrored in his eyes.

What element would this boy have?

* * *

**What element will Kanemaru have? Will Gaara and Sen be able to train him? And most of all, will Kanemaru accept the mission? Find out, in chapter 12.**


	12. Chapter 12

Like I said before, troublesome wasting of energy. Disclaimers are in previous chapters.

* * *

Sen shifted her glance from Gaara's to watch Kanemaru.

The paper the boy was holding ripped down the middle.

"Great!" Sen cried.

Kanemaru jumped and looked down at the paper in between his fingers. His element was _wind_.

"All right. Now you must learn to control it," Gaara said. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Kami. Now came the hard part.

Sen sighed. This was something that took more determination over anything else.

Kanemaru nodded. He knew they couldn't help him anymore than their sensei were able to help them.

"Look on the bright side, though," Sen said helpfully. "Gaara, Temari, and myself all have wind, so we'll be able to provide tips should you need them."

Kanemaru nodded again and Sen pulled something from her supplies pouch.

"Here." She handed him a leaf. "Practice with this." She looked at Gaara. "I'll stay here and watch him, all right? So you can go back to work."

Gaara nodded almost imperceptibely, but as he passed by her, his hand brushed hers and he squeezed her hand gently before moving on.

Sen sighed and settled down, watching Kanemaru as he struggled with his element. After a few minutes, she leaped up, just as a kunai buried itself into the ground by the boy's feet.

Kanemaru jumped in shock and fell on his butt. He glanced over at Sen and noticed that even though she wasn't smiling, her eyes were dancing with laughter. "You-" he started. He shook his head, deciding not to finish his thought; he got up, dusting himself off. "I don't get it, though."

Sen frowned, the laughter dying in her eyes. "Don't get what?"

"You're so strong," Kanemaru said. "You can obviously take care of yourself; not to mention that if someone attacked you, Kiri would call a war and Suna and Konoha would follow. Why do you need a guard? Why do you need _me_?" He finished in a small, defeated voice.

Sen sighed and walked over to him. She pushed his chin up with her fist, so that he looked her in the eyes. "Because. Gaara worries for me. That's why he wants me to have a guard. He knows I can take care of myself, but he worries nonetheless." _As do I._ "Furthermore, he wants you to realize that you do have potential and he's giving you a chance to prove it to yourself and to the village."

"But I'll just let him down," Kanemaru protested.

"You never know unless you try," Sen countered forcefully as she turned away.

"All right," Kanemaru said quietly.

Gaara looked up from his work. "Pardon?"

"I'll accept the mission," Kanemaru said. "I'll protect Sen-san with my life."

Gaara nodded briefly, dismissing the boy by saying, "Very well. While she is in the village, she has general protection, therefore you may do as you wish then. However, any time she travels outside Suna's gates, you must accompany her."

Kanemaru nodded and bowed before exiting.

A few minutes of silence passed before Gaara said, almost to himself, "How do you do it?"

"Ne?" Sen said, glancing over at him. She shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe Elder Sage Owl's right when she says I have a way with people."

Gaara swallowed hard, praying she didn't hear him. Kami, was that ever true! She'd unlocked more emotions in him than even Naruto had managed.

Sen was wrapped up in her own thoughts, those that had come to mind at Gaara's indirect question. How _did _she manage to convince Kanemaru? She shook her head slowly, clearing the thoughts away. "Hey, Gaara-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm going out, 'kay?"

"Hn."

Sen performed the hand sign and disappeared in a cloud of mist.

Gaara snorted. "Show-off."

* * *

**Hmm, wonder where Sen's going? Find out in chapter 13.**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimers in previous chapters.

* * *

Sen walked towards Suna's gates, passing few villagers in the midday haze. She sighed. "I wonder if Gaara even knows I plan on leaving Suna," she said quietly. She shrugged. It wasn't like anyone was going to stop her. She exited the gates and when she thought she was far enough so that no one would over see, she stopped. Sketching the appropriate signs in the sand, she pulled a kunai out and slid it across her palm, pressing her now bleeding hand against the ground.

Elder Sage Owl appeared, shifting her feathers at the desert heat. "Little fledgling," she said in way of greeting.

"Elder Sage Owl," Sen said. "Could we-Could we just..."

The owl shifted her wing so that Sen could climb onto her back. When the girl was situated, she said, "Any particular direction, little fledgling?"

Sen spoke on a whim. "Towards Mizuki's."

The owl nodded and took off.

Kanemaru, meanwhile, was back in the training grounds. He was putting his all into it, but, sadly, he hadn't made much improvement.

Sen sighed as the desert breeze blew into her face. It sort of reminded her of Gaara's scent; his had something more that made it not just the desert but _him_, her Gaara. She shook her head. Damn. She was thinking of him as property. She sighed again.

Elder Sage Owl whispered, "Something wrong, little fledgling?"

"N-no, I mean, not exactly," Sen said. "I just wanted to take some time to clear my head, I suppose."

"I see."

Very soon they landed at the edge of Fire Country. "I'll be fine, now," Sen said as she got down. "I'll call you when I'm ready to come back, okay?"

Elder Sage Owl nodded and, in a puff of smoke, disappeared.

Sen took off through the trees, with the full intention of visiting Mizuki, when a sound made her stop. She froze, crouched on the branch like a cat, straining her ears to catch the sound again.

"But Danna, shouldn't we-"

"Shh. Be quiet, Deidara. Do you want all of the Fire Country to hear us?"

"No, Sasori-danna."

Deidara? Sasori? Weren't those two members of Akatsuki? Sen shut her eyes, remembering the file Sasuke had shown her and Mizuki all those weeks ago. Yes, the two she'd heard were definitely members of Akatsuki. But what were they doing here?

The sound of kissing could be heard next, and Sen felt her stomach turn over. They were _gay_! Kami, she had to tell Chiyo-baasan and Gaara about this. She performed the seal and disappeared quietly.

Sasori pulled back, eyes darting around the surrounding trees.

"Danna, what is it?" Deidara panted.

_I know I sensed a chakra signature around here, _Sasori thought. _But it seemed female, and there appeared to be another with it. Odd..._

"Danna," Deidara whined, dragging Sasori from his musings.

"Stay here," Sasori ordered and, before Deidara could protest, continued, "It seems we had a visitor, and we don't want our little secret to get out, now do we?"

Deidara shook his head fiercely.

"All right, go back to the base and tell them I'll be a little longer. I have a few loose ends I need to tie up." Sasori disappeared with a sadistic smile on his face as Deidara chuckled at what his Danna could possibly have planned before disappearing as well.

Half way into Wind Country, Sen collapsed to her knees as she re-opened the wound on her right hand before pressing it to the ground.

Halftalon appeared, clearly disgruntled about being summoned to the desert. Ruffling his feathers perturbedly, he turned to Sen and snapped, "Get on."

Sen scrambled on as Halftalon shot into the air. He wasn't as fast as Elder Sage, so they made it back to Suna by nightfall. "Um, Halftalon?" Sen ventured. "Could you drop me off where the Legendary Siblings are?"

Halftalon made an odd noise, somewhere between a growl and an agitated sigh, but shifted his flight so that, within a few minutes, they landed on the balcony of the building. He disappeared as his talons hit the ground, leaving Sen to stumble awkwardly to keep from falling on her face.

_Damn bird,_ Sen thought to herself. _If he was female, I would say he was PMSing..._

"Eh? Who's there?" a voice, cracked with age, called out.

"It's only me, Ebizou-sama, Chiyo-sama," Sen replied, bowing respectfully. "Chiyo-sama, may I speak to you privately for a moment? It concerns Sasori."

The aged kunoichi studied her for a moment, before nodding and climbing to her feet.

_Well, that went easier than planned, _Sen mused as she leaped over the roof tops. Now, she just had to inform Gaara.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimers are in previous chapters.

* * *

Sen jumped through a window of the Kazekage's office, landing in a cat-like crouch near the desk. "You're slipping Gaara-kun," she said, panting slightly.

"No," he replied as he continued his work as if she hadn't just leaped through the window of the office. Not that _that_ particular action was any different from her using Body Flicker. "I'd figured you would be back around dusk and here you are. Although, under normal circumstances, you would have come through the door or used Body Flicker. Something wrong?"

Sen didn't answer as she wrapped her arms around his neck , burying her nose in his hair.

"Sen." He pulled her arms from around him and made her look him in the eye. "What happened?"

Sen pushed some papers out of the way and pulled herself up onto the desk. She told him about leaving Suna, and summoning Elder Sage Owl, with every intention of visiting Mizuki.

Through all of it, Gaara processed the information and nodded, urging her to continue.

Sen proceeded to tell him that, not long after entering Fire Country, she heard a noise that struck her as odd. It had sounded human, but if it had been a shinobi, or even a group, it would have been muted. This wasn't; it wasn't loud, either. Somewhere in between, almost as if the one who had made the noise had tried to stifle it as it was uttered.

"Gaara-kun, Akasuna no Sasori and Deidara, of Akatsuki, are gay," Sen said.

"Hn. Wouldn't surprise me," he replied. "They are partners after all, are they not? Now, I'm finished here. Let's go home."

Sen nodded and followed him out the office. She walked beside Gaara as they went through the streets. "Ne, Gaara," she said. "I told Chiyo-sama, is that all right?"

"I don't see why not," he replied as a young child ran up and shoved a small toy into his hands before running back inside their home. "He is her grandson."

Sen nodded and they continued the rest of the way in silence.

Later that night, Gaara was sitting on his bed, reading through his siblings' most recent mission report, that they had so _kindly_ decided to drop on him that night. When Sen snuggled up against him, he put his arm around her waist gently. After a while, he said quietly, "Something wrong?"

Sen sighed. "Sort of."

"Hmm?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly like I was hiding my chakra signature, and when I'm traveling alone, or with one that knows of Nanabi, I don't bother to keep his chakra signature hidden. They're _Akatsuki_. S-rank criminals, Gaara-kun. I guess I just get the feeling that Sasori _knew_ I was there," she replied.

Gaara set the mission report on the floor; it could wait, there were more important matters to deal with. He pulled Sen against his chest and set his chin on top of her head. "It's all right, I'm here," he murmured.

"But that's what I'm worried about," Sen said, pushing away from him. "I don't want to lose you."

Gaara sighed. _Every_one knew that _he _was a jinchuuriki, even if they didn't know him personally. Very few knew she was. Only her immediate family, Raikage-sama (who would probably be succeeded soon, along with Sen's father), Mizuki, and himself.

"Ne, Gaara-kun?" Sen's voice snapped him from his thoughts.

"What?"

"You need to relax. Okay, before you say anything, hear me out. I think, with Nanabi's help, I could keep Shukaku locked up so you could rest. Will you give it a try?"

Sleep? Considering that _very_ tempting thought, Gaara allowed Sen to run her fingers through his hair gently. But would she be able to keep the Ichibi locked away? It was a dangerous gamble, but he trusted her. "Meet me on the roof," he said, touching her cheek gently with his fingertips, before disappearing in a small cloud of sand.

Sen followed in a cloud of mist.

* * *

**Hmm, a way for Gaara to sleep without losing what little is left of his precious sanity? Find out, in Chapter 15.**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimers are in previous chapters.

* * *

Sen crouched beside Gaara as they sat on the roof. "You ready?" she whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair gently.

Gaara nodded, gulping slightly.

"All right," Sen said. "Lay back and relax."

"Stay close?" Gaara replied softly.

Sen nodded and threaded her fingers through his as she pushed him onto his back. "I won't leave your side," she promised. She kissed his forehead gently and began running her fingers through his hair once more. "Just relax."

Gaara nodded and closed his eyes, slowly drifting to sleep.

_**Now comes the hard part, little one,**_ Nanabi said.

_I know,_ Sen replied.

_**All right, little one. If you're ready, we'll go inside the seal.**_ (1)

_I'm ready._

When Sen opened her eyes, she found herself in a dark place. The only light seemed to be coming from Gaara, Nanabi, and herself. She ran her fingers through Gaara's hair, noting how peaceful he looked asleep. "All right. Now what Nanabi?" she said.

"**How'd you get in here**?" a voice screeched, accompanied by a pair of golden eyes. "**Nanabi**."

"**Ichibi**."

"**Gah! Don't call me that! I hate that. What's **_**she**_** doing here**?"

"**I brought her here**," Nanabi answered firmly.

A small growl issued from the shadows. "**Whatever. Do what you will**." Shukaku emerged from the shadows and moved towards them. "**Just stay out of my way**."

"Don't you touch Gaara!" Sen growled.

A blue ear twitched and an odd shudder passed down the golden pelt, making the blue spirals appear to swirl. Shukaku laughed. "**Let me guess**," he chuckled. "_**You're **_**going to stop me? You don't have the chakra to stop me, brat**."

"**Why do you think I'm here**?" Nanabi said evenly.

Shukaku narrowed his eyes and uttered a more feral growl than the first. "**I don't mess in your seal, **_**Nanabi**_**, so don't fuck around in mine**!" he spat.

"**Fine**," Nanabi said. "**I'll leave it to Sen. You remember what I told you before? About your **_**bloodline**_?"

Sen nodded; she still hadn't moved from her position near Gaara, her fingers still tightly interlaced with his.

Shukaku narrowed his eyes once more. "**Bloodline? What bloodline**?"

Nanabi rolled his eyes. "**Your memory was always as weak as your number, **_**Ichibi**_."

Shukaku snarled and bared his teeth. Without warning, he lunged forward, slinging Sen and Gaara away from each other. He then snatched Gaara up in his claws.

Sen growled, "Get your damn paws off of him!" She charged him, lunging atop his head and avoiding the swiping tail and claws. She grabbed an ear and jerked. Hard. "Let _go_!"

Shukaku snarled. Then he blinked. "**You**..."

"Finally dawning on you, eh?" Sen spat.

"**Grr. Bitch. I'd almost forgotten about the Katimi's Kekkei Genkai. Shit! Let go of me**!" Shukaku snarled.

Sen frowned and jerked again.

"**Okay, okay**!" Shukaku whined. As he released Gaara, the seal's realm disappeared.

Gaara lay on his back, panting. He sat up. "You broke your promise," he said.

Sen sighed. "Gaara, I did-"

Suddenly, Gaara grabbed his head.

_**Don't start, bastard, **_Shukaku spat. _**She's**__** the reason you're here.**_

Gaara opened his eyes to stare at Sen. "You stopped him?"

"Yeah," Sen whispered.

Gaara reached out and took her hand, gripping it tightly. "Could we...?"

"Only if you're willing," Sen replied. "Oh, and before I forget, Nanabi told me that after Shukaku understands that I'm not leaving you for him, there's less chance he'll try to take control."

"Right," Gaara said. He lay down and curled up with his head in Sen's lap; he slowly closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

Sen watched him for a little while, slowly running her fingers through his hair.

Gaara rolled onto his side, but remained asleep, one hand finding Sen's and grasping it firmly.

* * *

A/N: (1) Gaara's seal is never really described in any great detail like Naruto's so for this, I suppose you could say I took a bit of artistic liberties with the description.

Deidara: Art?

What are you doing here? You're not even in this chapter!

Deidara: But art is in the brief second of the explosion!

Sasori: Will you listen to this idiot? Eternal beauty is true art.

Shut up both of you and get out of here!

Sasori: Don't I get to be in the next chapter though?

Yes, now get your butt _there_.

Sasori: All right. *disappears*

Deidara: Danna! Wait! *disappears*

*sighs* Thank God... So, yeah, like Akatsuki's red headed puppet master said, next chapter you get to see the Kazekage and the Puppet Master's confrontation.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimers are in previous chapters.

* * *

When Sen next opened her eyes, she found herself under the covers of Gaara's bed. "What the..." She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Gaa...?"

"Sunrise in the desert is earlier, or did you forget that?"

Gaara was sitting on the side of the bed and when he looked at her, he smiled, if only slightly. "Thank you for last night," he said quietly.

Sen leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. "You don't have to thank me. I've told you before, I do it because I love you," she whispered.

"Right," Gaara said. "I've got to get to my work. Are you coming?"

Sen nodded and said, "Let me get dressed."

Gaara nodded, got up and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Sen sighed. _I know he has trouble with emotions, but sheesh._ She changed quickly and went to meet him downstairs.

Sen sat in the window sill behind Gaara's chair, watching the villagers begin their day. She sighed; the only sound in the office was the sounds of Gaara's writing and their breathing. Glancing out onto the street, she noticed a cloaked figure weaving through the crowd. She frowned. Had Gaara sent any ANBU on a mission? "Ne, Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you send any ANBU out recently?"

Gaara shifted a few papers around. "No, don't believe I have. Why?"

"Because I just saw someone in a cloak go past."

"Hn."

Matsuri sat in the window sill of the shop that belonged to her friend's family. She saw the cloaked figure weave past and frowned. Had Gaara-sama sent ANBU out recently? She looked up towards the Kazekage tower and saw Sen sitting in the sill watching the street.

Sen snapped her fingers and her wind picked up a piece of paper off of Gaara's desk and brought it to her.

"Sen, what're you doing?" Gaara said curiously, pushing his chair away from his desk and turning it so that he could look at her.

"Pen, please?" Sen answered, holding out her hand.

Gaara sighed and reached onto his desk to grab the pen and ink before handing them to Sen.

Sen took them with a 'thank you' and scribbled something onto a piece of paper she'd previously ripped into a few strips. She then whipped a kunai from her weapons pouch, spun it around in her hand and caught it deftly. She attached the strip of paper to the kunai and flinging it down into the streets.

_Thunk! _A kunai whizzed by Matsuri's face and buried itself in the wooden frame. Frowning, Matsuri pulled it out and unattached the paper from it. She unfolded the paper and read, _Hey Matsuri, what's up?_ "Hey, Kora? Can I get a pen and some ink please?"

"Oh, so that's what you were up to," Gaara mused as he got up and moved so that he was leaning on the sill beside Sen.

"Yeah," Sen said as she caught the kunai as it came flying in between them.

Gaara didn't even flinch.

"I was getting a 'worm's eye view' as they say," Sen said as she unfolded the paper. "So she noticed too..." She scribbled something down on another strip of paper and repeated the process.

Gaara raised one eyebrow in curiousity.

"Matsuri spotted the cloaked figure as well. I told her to keep an eye out," Sen explained.

"Hn." Gaara took the pen from Sen's hand and went back to his work.

A few minutes later, Matsuri returned Sen's kunai.

Sen caught the kunai in midair, spun it around with her hand and replaced it in her pouch. She got up and moved around to lean against the wall, watching Gaara.

Suddenly, the knob twisted and both Sen and Gaara's attention snapped to the door.

The door opened and the same cloaked figure that Sen had spotted in the streets walked into the room, shutting the door behind theirself.

"Who're you?" Sen said quickly.

"Your chakra signature is familiar."

Sen froze and sucked in a breath.

Gaara's eyes shifted quickly to Sen before they moved back to the cloaked figure who was slowly starting to aggravate him. He was _not _in the mood to be aggravated today; full moon as it was, Shukaku was already getting bitchy. "Who are you?"

"Oh, surely you know me, Kazekage-sama." A long, thin hand came up and pushed the hood off. "After all, you know Granny Chiyo."

Sen swallowed hard.

As the hood fell back, it revealed red hair, almost like Gaara's, but brighter, and beautiful chocolate brown eyes and a child-like face.

Sen kicked herself mentally. She hated to admit it, but his eyes _were_ pretty nice.

"Akasuna no Sasori," Gaara said.

Sasori smirked. "Right, and I know you, but..." He lifted his hand and chakra strings shot out, attaching to Sen's chin, neck, and body, and pulled her closer. He twitched a finger and moved her chin upward a tad. "I don't know you. Name?"

* * *

**Kyaah! It's too short. But I wanted to end it here. Ah, well. So, where will it go from here? Find out in Chapter 17.**


End file.
